Chapter Ten #4
‘Hang on, you’re Chairman Ri’s daughter, aren’t you? I don’t easily forget faces like yours!’
And yet, you thought I was ‘Timira’s team’. But Mina, starved of compliments from Haneul, can’t help but blush hard.
‘I wonder why your father keeps you hidden away …’
Mina is taken aback by Rodrigo’s easy and effortless flirtation. It’s refreshing to her and she cannot help but smile coyly.
‘Or, is it your fiancé?’ he winks.
‘I beg your pardon. I have a mind of my own, thank you very much. Nobody has “hidden” me away!’ Mina is smarting a little.
‘I’m sorry if I offended you. It wasn’t my intention at all. I guess what I meant was you’re stunning. Your betrothed is a lucky guy. Would he be jealous if he were watching us right now?’
Watching them from a distance, Timira thinks to herself, yeh dekho!
Look at this bugger, just can’t seem to stop himself from being the champion flirt that he is.
Aur madame bhi kuch kam nahin. God, truth really is stranger than fiction.
Oh, hello, I’m the one who nearly died! Why is no one paying me any attention?
One of her colleagues has brought her a chair and she’s now sitting on it, disgruntled, cold and craving attention.
She looks expectantly at Haneul, seeking comfort, but he remains rooted at the spot—oblivious to Timira’s eyes that gaze longingly at him—still breathing heavy, nostrils flaring, fists clenched tight, nails digging deep into his palms. She can’t tell but he is fighting the urge to run to her and hold her.
Giving up after looking at him with pleading eyes for a good thirty seconds or so, Timira excuses herself to go up to her room.
Still shivering inside the double protection of towels and blankets, she somehow manages to get up from her seat and weakly calls out to Hanee, who has been nervously hanging around for Timira’s any need.
‘Honey!’
Hanee rushes towards her and grabs her by the shoulders.
‘Seonbae, gwenchanayo?’
‘I need to get out of these clothes, Honey.’
‘Geureomyo. Let me take you to your room. Seonbae, do you feel okay to walk? Or shall I have them arrange a wheelchair? I’m sure the hotel has the facility.’
‘Chill, Honey. I’m just damp and cold. Totally unhurt, bubba!’
‘Well, hold on to me tight. Here, grab my arm!’
Timira wobbles a little but with Hanee’s support quickly finds her balance. With one last glance towards Haneul, who is now holding his head with both hands and looking down, she lets Hanee lead her away.
* * *
It’s been under half an hour since Timira left with Hanee, but it feels like an eternity to Haneul, who only noticed their absence upon being broken from his reverie by Mr Choi.
‘Daepyonim, gwenchanhaseyo? The crew is setting up to resume the shoot.’
Haneul doesn’t care.
‘Where is Ms Marak? Is she all right, Bujangnim?’
‘Ah, ye . She is back in her room. About the shoot, Mina-ssi has suggested …’
Haneul still doesn’t care.
He gets up and walks out. He only stops walking when he reaches Timira’s room.
Hanee, after tucking Timira in, steps out of the room, gently shutting the door behind her … only to find a pale-looking Haneul furiously pacing up and down the corridor outside.
‘ Omo ! Daepyonim!’
‘Is she okay? Is she all right? Is she hurt? Does she have a fever? What can I do? Has a doctor seen her?’
‘ Geogjeong hajimaseyo, Daepyonim [Don’t worry, CEO sir]. The hotel doctor has seen her. He gave her medicines to soothe her nerves and help her sleep. I’ve made sure she’s had them. With a glass of warm milk, too. Don’t worry, Daepyonim. She’s all right. I’ve tucked her into bed.’
Honey almost feels proud, like a young mother looking after her infant.
‘ Gomawoyo , Hanee-ssi. Jjinja gomawoyo [Truly thank you]!’
‘No sweat, Daepyonim. Shouldn’t you be at the shoot? I’m heading back myself. Shall we go together?’
‘Yes, yes. Of course. Let’s go!’
Feeling a little sad upon seeing Haneul looking wistfully at the shut door, Hanee says, ‘She’ll wake up before dinner, I’m sure,’ in a reassuring voice and with a kind smile.
Poor guy. I know how you feel, Daepyonim. I know exactly how it feels!
* * *
Oh, shoot! Did I leave the smokes behind at the shoot location?
Timira is rummaging through her bag, a tote—made from the same organic material as the one she had carried to Bali, but this one sans any mention of men or the lack of—trying to hunt for cigarettes.
She had woken up a little while ago. It was dark out and she knew she would’ve missed most of the shoot.
She silently chides herself for the embarrassment she has caused and slaps her forehead.
Everybody must be thinking I’m such a moron.
Usske upar that Rod ka bachcha only had to come save me.
Should’ve listened to Bhaskar and learnt how to swim.
Tch, what a fool I am. And, where on earth was Haneul?
His mood swings are going to give me whiplash, ma kasam!
Kitna I stared at him, bugger didn’t look at me even once.
Did not even bother to ask if I’m all right?
And here I was, naively believing his heart eyes and thinking mil gaya mujhe mere sapno ka shehzada. What an ass I’ve made of myself! Chee!
Realizing she isn’t in any hurry, Timira takes a leisurely soak in the bath. It’s well past 7 p.m. by the time she steps out of the room to make her way to the set. She tries to reach Hanee but the latter’s number is switched off.
Oh, the shoot must still be on. Perhaps I can catch the last bits with the floodlights!
She quickens her pace, feeling a little guilty about her hour-long bath, and tries to make up for lost time. It is then that she feels like a smoke and ferrets around inside her bag.
Why can’t I find them? Oh, dang! They must’ve drowned in the pool when I nearly drowned. No, wait. Cigarettes don’t drown. They must have floated. They didn’t need Rod to save them.
All the while, her hand has been busy inspecting every corner of her bag for an extra pack of smokes she is sure she has carried.
‘ Chajassda !’ She says it out loud, triumphantly.
Wow, did I just speak to myself in Korean? Damn, this country must really be doing quite a number on me!
She has only had a couple of puffs when she feels the bile rise inside her chest. What feels like a raging fire burns inside her and a wave of nausea falls and rises violently deep inside her chest cavity.
It is lactose intolerance, she will discover later, but for now, it feels as though a fire has been lit inside her torso and her innards and heart are on fire.
Frantically searching through her bag, smoke precariously dangling from one corner of her mouth, she pulls out a strip of medicines.
In the darkness, she is unable to see well.
But the medicines look familiar and she is in a hurry to pop one before the fire reaches her head.
She quickly stubs out the cigarette and pops a tablet inside her mouth, swallowing it with a swig from the bottle of water that hangs from her bag, along with a bottle of sanitizer, like a charm.
She is still a considerable distance away from the location when the fire starts getting replaced by anxiety. A chill goes down her spine and the cold makes her shiver a little. Almost immediately, she feels a little light-headed.
I’m sure it’s because I’ve had one hell of a day.
It’s bound to have taken a toll, right? Or is it because I had the medicine on an empty stomach?
No wonder Ma always insists I eat before.
Uff, Ma really is always right, argh! Whatever, it’s okay.
I’ll be back on my feet after I’ve slept well tonight. Will Haneul be on set? Mina, too?
Lost in thought, she barely manages two more steps when her vision starts to get a little blurry.
As she stands around in the middle of the road rubbing her eyes in the hope that it’ll somehow magically restore clarity, a little biker on a children’s bike pedals towards her.
The biker, panicking on spotting a human twice his size in his path and refusing to move, doesn’t manage to either press the brakes or steer clear of her and rams his mini-bike into Timira.
She has been caught off-guard and grasps the situation only when she’s knocked over and losing her balance for the second time today.
Oh, no! I hope Rod doesn’t have to save me again! Mummaaaaa!
A pair of hands reaches her soon enough. Before she can hit the ground. She shuts her eyes tight and clasps her arms together against her chest as though she were praying.
Still feeling light-headed and groggy, now even more than before, she opens her eyes ever so slowly. Partly because they feel heavy and she feels sleepy. But mostly because she’s scared to see who has saved her this time. At first, only a silhouette is seen. A tall, dark silhouette.
Wow. Very noir. How artistic. It’ll make a great shot for the ‘gram!
But as it speaks, the voice sounds familiar. And warm. And it makes her feel warm. And safe. The silhouette also becomes clearer.
OH MY GOD! IT’S HIM! But why is it so dark? Why can’t I see him clearly? Why isn’t he smiling? I want to see his teeth! I’m so sleepy. His arms are so comfortable! I should sleep …
‘Timira! Timira! Are you all right? Where does it hurt? Timira, wake up! Don’t sleep! Stay awake. Tell me, where does it hurt?’
Here, Haneul, here. She means her heart and wants to point at it. But she neither does that nor does she say it. When she does speak, it sounds as though she’s in a stupor.
‘Why are you here? How did you know to find me here?’
‘I’ve been stalking you.’
Timira smiles as though she relishes the thought of being stalked by Haneul, and continues to speak groggily. ‘Why didn’t you find me sooner? Where were you? Why did you leave me by myself?’
Haneul is checking every exposed part of Timira’s body for injuries and murmurs absent-mindedly.
Timira, dissatisfied with his response, whines and demands an answer. ‘TELL ME NOOOOO!’
‘Tell you what? Timira, are you sure you aren’t hurt? How does your head feel?’
‘My head, my head … it’s fine. I just feel sleepy, very sleepy.’ She traces her temples as she speaks and suddenly winces in pain. ‘Ow!’
‘Where? Where does it hurt?’ Timira weakly points to her forehead.
Like always, it’s hidden behind her now-overgrown fringe so Haneul has to push it away to see what could be bothering her.
He finds nothing wrong, no cut, no bruise, no bump even.
But Timira continues to grimace, looking like she’s in obvious pain.
Haneul, who has been sitting on the ground on one knee, cradling Timira with one arm and his knee while supporting her neck with his other arm, slowly starts to lift her up.
Something’s definitely bothering her. And why is she this sleepy? Is it some medicine? Is it from the incident in the afternoon? Is she unwell? I should take her to the ER.
‘Timira, hold on, okay? I’m going to help you up. Relax your body and hold on to me!’
‘But I don’t want to get up. Can’t I just sleep here?’
Should I call Choi Bujangnim? Or Hanee maybe? What if someone else finds us? Good lord, more awkwardness for Timira to deal with. I’m such a loser—can’t do anything right!
‘Timira, you’ll sleep soon, okay? Let me take you to your room. Hold on tight!’
Obediently, Timira wraps her arms around Haneul’s neck as he slowly, gently lifts her body up and off the ground. Once she’s on her feet, he bends just a little over.
‘Hop on!’
‘I can walk. I feel …’ She wants to say ‘fine’ but doesn’t manage to finish the sentence as her feet wobble a little and her head feels woozy again.
Who am I kidding? I’m not fine! My stupid head feels like a gas balloon. The medicine didn’t help at all. Stupid videshi dawaai!
‘Timira, now!’
Timira, as careful as she can possibly be in her daze, climbs on to Haneul’s back.
She’s still light as a feather. Does this girl not eat?
They’ve been walking for a few minutes now and Timira feels a little less sleepy and a tad more aware than before.
‘Um, my room is the other way …’
‘I know. We aren’t going to your room.’
He isn’t taking me back to my room? Where is he taking me? Why has nobody found us yet? Why hasn’t Honey called me back? Am I in a dream?
Haneul bursts Timira’s thought bubble. ‘Is your head still hurting a lot?’
Timira, having forgotten all about it, is reminded of it and, as if on cue, her temples start to throb in pain.
‘No, no, no pain. I’m fine,’ she lies through gritted teeth.
This is so embarrassing. I can’t believe I’m on my boss’ back.
On my gorgeous boss’ back. The gorgeous boss I definitely have a crush on.
The gorgeous boss I have a crush on but who has an even more gorgeous fiancée.
And here I am, India’s greatest klutz, making India proud in phoren. Utha le mujhe, Bhagwan!
Haneul is quiet. He’s walking towards the car park to drive Timira to the nearest ER.
‘Haneul-ssi, you can put me down. I can walk now.’
‘And what if you can’t? What if you fall again? Stay where you are and keep holding on!’
It’s now Timira’s turn to go quiet. She tries to hide her face, but on finding that it’s only the vast expanse of Haneul’s wide back she can bury it into, drops the idea.
I could die of embarrassment. Argh! But good lord, what a beautiful and strong back! What is this thing of beauty? Good grief! Are these muscles for real ? Not bad at all for my first adult piggyback … Er, hold up. Wait a minute!
Timira leans her head back a little and takes a good look at Haneul’s back.
Why does it look familiar? What is this intense sense of déjà vu?! Now where have I seen this before?
For a few weeks now, Timira has been consistently dreaming of being at a beach.
Of watching the sunset, laughing with someone.
Someone whose face is always hidden behind shadows.
Per the sweet old Bali doctor’s advice, she hadn’t at all tried to remember all that she had forgotten in Bali.
But these recent dreams have given her hope that she might finally be on the verge of regaining her memory.
Her gaze shifts up his neck and then towards his ears.
And all her memories come flooding back.
Such cute ears! Almost like Spock’s!
Memories that she had all but forgotten now rush in like water in a flash flood.
This is the guy I met in Bali.
WHAT THE F?!
IT WAS HANEUL!